In 2023’s first Express Entry draw, Canada invites 5,500 candidates

TORONTO: In its latest Express Entry draw in nearly two months, Canada issued invitations to 5,500 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 507.

The minimum CRS score -- which is used to rank skilled worker candidates who want to immigrate to Canada via Express Entry -- was 16 points higher than the previous draw, which took place on November 23.

The November 23 draw, which invited 4,750 candidates, saw the lowest minimum CRS score at 491. The increase in CRS cut-off score was expected given the large gap between the draws, understood to have been caused by a computer glitch, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

With more frequent draws and the increase in the number of invitations issued, the minimum threshold score is expected to reduce further in the coming months, the IRCC said.

It issued 45,115 ITAs (Invitations To Apply) in 2022, and a record 114,431 ITAs in 2021 -- all to Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program candidates. It beat the previous record of 107,350 set in 2020.

ITAs are issued to candidates who rank the highest in a round of invitations, based on their score in the CRS.

According to the IRCC, the latest draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on December 6, 2022 -- if more than one candidate had the minimum CRS score, only those who submitted their Express Entry profiles before this date and time received invitations.

The Express Entry is the most popular immigration system offering Canadian permanent residence, introduced by the government in January 2015 to replace the old "first come, first served" process. Canada will increase the number of candidates invited through Express Entry programs, based on the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 released late last year.

In 2023, 82,880 immigrants are set to be admitted to Canada as permanent residents via Express Entry.